Worst county in your state?

[US 89]

Hard to pick one for Utah because counties are generally big enough that they include at least one neat city, geographical feature, or cool scenic drive.

But if I had to pick one, I'd probably go with Millard. Huge county that is pretty much just desert with two boring towns and generic mountain ranges. Sanpete and Rich are up there as well, but Bear Lake and Skyline Drive save those from "worst" status in my opinion.

[ftballfan]

Worst as far as overall worst such as the county pretty much sucks.

For Michigan, I'll go with Wayne County; Detroit is a shithole and so are most of the inner ring suburbs like River Rouge, Ecorse, Lincoln Park and of course Highland Park which mine as well be part of the city of Detroit anyway along with it's neighbor Hamtramck.

Wayne County also has Inkster, the city so shitty that when the school district was shut down, it was split in such a way that Inkster has no schools within its boundaries. Also, most of Detroit's "nice" suburbs are in Oakland and Macomb counties (with the notable exception of the Grosse Pointes, which are in far eastern Wayne County)

[JayhawkCO]

Going to go Kiowa County, CO.  Nothing scenic, no interesting roads, no interesting cities.   The least populous county that isn't in the mountains.

Chris

[Flint1979]

Worst as far as overall worst such as the county pretty much sucks.

For Michigan, I'll go with Wayne County; Detroit is a shithole and so are most of the inner ring suburbs like River Rouge, Ecorse, Lincoln Park and of course Highland Park which mine as well be part of the city of Detroit anyway along with it's neighbor Hamtramck.

Wayne County also has Inkster, the city so shitty that when the school district was shut down, it was split in such a way that Inkster has no schools within its boundaries. Also, most of Detroit's "nice" suburbs are in Oakland and Macomb counties (with the notable exception of the Grosse Pointes, which are in far eastern Wayne County)

Inkster is indeed a shithole and there are probably a few more Wayne County suburbs that fit the bill. I don't think Dearborn, Dearborn Heights or Redford Township are all that great either. Although the western part of the county like Northville, Plymouth, Canton, Van Buren Township then the southern end around Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Brownstown Township and Grosse Ile are nice for the most part. Harper Woods is another shithole that comes to mind. Out of the Grosse Pointe's I honestly would say Grosse Pointe Farms is the best one with Grosse Pointe or Grosse Pointe Park being the worst of the Grosse Pointe's. Harper Woods changed big time in the 2000 decade.

[empirestate]

Orleans is one of many Upstate counties that are losing population. As for why it's the worst, its Lake Ontario shoreline is terrible (zero beaches of note), it's run-down, redneck, economically depressed, and there's no scenery to speak of. To give an idea, here is your welcome to Orleans County on NY 104. Albion and Medina, meanwhile, are consistently ranked among the most redneck places in the state... and for Upstate NY, that's saying something.

As I mentioned upthread, all other counties at least have a number of things going for them, be it scenery, attractions, quality of life, a regional economic hub, or otherwise. Orleans is a true eyesore that doesn't have any of those things. That makes it the worst.

Objective, though? (Off-topic, since the question is about personal preference...but since you did offer...)

[dvferyance]

Milwaukee County hands down. The southern 1/3rd of county is ok Oak Creek and Franklin aren't bad most of the rest of the county is a shithole.

[webny99]

Orleans is one of many Upstate counties that are losing population. As for why it's the worst, its Lake Ontario shoreline is terrible (zero beaches of note), it's run-down, redneck, economically depressed, and there's no scenery to speak of. To give an idea, here is your welcome to Orleans County on NY 104. Albion and Medina, meanwhile, are consistently ranked among the most redneck places in the state... and for Upstate NY, that's saying something.

As I mentioned upthread, all other counties at least have a number of things going for them, be it scenery, attractions, quality of life, a regional economic hub, or otherwise. Orleans is a true eyesore that doesn't have any of those things. That makes it the worst.

Objective, though? (Off-topic, since the question is about personal preference...but since you did offer...)

What's not objective about that?

[hotdogPi]

Orleans is one of many Upstate counties that are losing population. As for why it's the worst, its Lake Ontario shoreline is terrible (zero beaches of note), it's run-down, redneck, economically depressed, and there's no scenery to speak of. To give an idea, here is your welcome to Orleans County on NY 104. Albion and Medina, meanwhile, are consistently ranked among the most redneck places in the state... and for Upstate NY, that's saying something.

As I mentioned upthread, all other counties at least have a number of things going for them, be it scenery, attractions, quality of life, a regional economic hub, or otherwise. Orleans is a true eyesore that doesn't have any of those things. That makes it the worst.

Objective, though? (Off-topic, since the question is about personal preference...but since you did offer...)

What's not objective about that?

If it's objective, there's no possibility of disagreement.

Take, for example, a two-person contest that is judged. Even if one person clearly did better than the other, and there's no doubt about it, it's still subjective. For it to be objective, it would need to be scored on criteria (like football), timed (like a running race), or have rules that define a winner and loser (like chess).

Anyone who disagrees with a true objective statement is factually incorrect.

[webny99]

If it's objective, there's no possibility of disagreement.

Take, for example, a two-person contest that is judged. Even if one person clearly did better than the other, and there's no doubt about it, it's still subjective. For it to be objective, it would need to be scored on criteria (like football), timed (like a running race), or have rules that define a winner and loser (like chess).

OK, so perhaps it is not objective in the literal sense, and it doesn't really matter anyway because the thread is about our own preferences. However, Orleans County possesses many, if not all, of the characteristics that most people would consider undesirable, and close to zero or zero characteristics that most people would consider desirable.

No, it cannot be proven, and people could disagree, but it's about as close as you can possibly come to being true without being provably true, comparable to a statement like "Ronald Reagan was a better candidate than Walter Mondale" (not to bring in politics... just to cherry pick an obvious comparison).

Now, the difference is that a slightly revised statement such as "The American people preferred Ronald Reagan over Walter Mondale" is objective, because we have an actual data point (the 1984 election). "The people of New York rank Orleans County as worst in the state" is not objective, because we don't have an actual data point, however, my strong suspicion is that if we did have a data point, it would handily prove that statement true.

[kphoger]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

[US71]

Maybe Madison County, Arkansas, home of Orvall Faubus (from Huntsville). Very backwater, but they do have a Walmart and Dollar Tree. Downtown Huntsville is all but dead since US 412 goes around now, and AR 23 is not exactly a quality road. It's more point A to Point B, but not exactly for long excursions.  Madison also hase lots of "2 mile highways" that take you into the boonies then turn to mud.

[SectorZ]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

Imagine the outcry here if someone complained about particular counties because they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from "redneck"?

[US71]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

Imagine the outcry here if someone complained about particular counties because they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from "redneck"?

Washington County, AR

[hotdogPi]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

Imagine the outcry here if someone complained about particular counties because they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from "redneck"?

Washington County, AR

Washington County voted for Trump. It is in no way on the opposite end of redneck.

[oscar]

Washington County voted for Trump. It is in no way on the opposite end of redneck.

Just barely over 50%. Trump's vote share exceeded 80% in some other Arkansas counties, and was over 62% statewide.

It's all relative.

[US71]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

Imagine the outcry here if someone complained about particular counties because they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from "redneck"?

Washington County, AR

Washington County voted for Trump. It is in no way on the opposite end of redneck.

I lived there for over 20 years. There are a few corners that may be "backwards", but over all it isn't.

[webny99]

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

I totally understand being proud of where you live. I'm that way myself. I think we've all got a streak of it. But I imagine rural western Kansas is superior to rural western New York in a host of ways: better weather, better atmosphere, better scenery, friendlier people, and overall just a higher quality of life, even if it's still "redneck" by definition.

I've never been to Kansas, but I'd easily take the rural areas of North Dakota and Minnesota that I'm familiar with over Orleans County any day of the week, and that's not a "grass is always greener" argument because I've spent plenty of time in both areas.

[The Nature Boy]

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

I totally understand being proud of where you live. I'm that way myself. I think we've all got a streak of it. But I imagine rural western Kansas is superior to rural western New York in a host of ways: better weather, better atmosphere, better scenery, friendlier people, and overall just a higher quality of life, even if it's still "redneck" by definition.

I've never been to Kansas, but I'd easily take the rural areas of North Dakota and Minnesota that I'm familiar with over Orleans County any day of the week, and that's not a "grass is always greener" argument because I've spent plenty of time in both areas.

Another point: Orleans County isn't that far (relatively speaking) from Toronto and not that far (again relatively speaking) from the major cities on the east coast. It's also not far from the Adirondacks or the Great Lakes.

Kansas doesn't have those adjacencies.

[hotdogPi]

rural areas of North Dakota and Minnesota

COVID alert!

[webny99]

rural areas of North Dakota and Minnesota

COVID alert!

Oh, I haven't been there recently. But yes, it is quite bad in those areas right now.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

For Ohio; Morrow.

[CapeCodder]

For Missouri, in my opinion it's St. Louis County. You can drive from well kept western suburbs to run down, burned out lots in a short distance.

For Massachusetts it's a toss-up between Bristol and Plymouth Counties. Bristol County is home to four decaying cities that the post-industrial era has left in the backwater. Plymouth County has one such city.

[hbelkins]

Some people, for example, love living in redneck country.

Heck, pretty much all the things you said about Orleans County could also be said of the Kansas county I grew up in, yet many people who live there are fiercely proud of where they live.  The slogan of the county seat when I lived there, for example, was "The good life".  Other than my not having been popular in school, I'm happy to have grown up there.

Imagine the outcry here if someone complained about particular counties because they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from "redneck"?

You mean like my dislike for Jefferson County, Ky.?

I live in what would be considered a "redneck" county. Small, rural, in the hills. High poverty rate. No four-lane roads, an hour from the nearest Walmart Supercenter, a half-hour from the nearest hospital, and so on. Yet I don't think my county is the worst, nor do I think that of any of the similar counties in my area of the state, even the ones that are farther in the mountains. My disdain is for the state's largest county -- the one where the residents brag that they're the economic engine of my state, full of elitist liberals and yet also home to violent inner-city areas that make rural Appalachia look positively civilized and wealthy. I dislike Louisville for many reasons -- the attitude, the politics, the traffic, the feeling that I get that I am alone and isolated anytime I attend a conference in a major hotel downtown. I feel more isolated at the Galt House than I do living somewhere that's 30 to 60 minutes away from most everything other than what's available in a small town.

[webny99]

Well, there are two somewhat divergent directions that you could run with "opposite of redneck". The most obvious is "urban and diverse", which is what I think SectorZ was going for, but "wealthy and white-collar" also works, and is in many respects more accurate.

There are very few places that are all of those things at once, so maybe a county like Jefferson with an urban core and plenty of suburbia is as close as you're going to get to having at least some of all of those features. I would tend to think of a place like Northern Virginia, or perhaps Westchester County, NY; certainly not anywhere in the Rust Belt, with the possible exceptions being contemporary metro areas like Indianapolis or Columbus.

[The Nature Boy]

This thread is a sterling example of how it's difficult to find the "worst" anything because of our own subjective tastes.

I personally like Jefferson County, KY but I wouldn't begrudge someone who hates it. I know that there are places I like that others might consider terrible. I just wish that Virginia could keep a Jefferson County. We've created two and both left for other states.